Lost and Found
by southernsorceress
Summary: Harry Potter was discovered in an orphanage, not even knowing his name.  Abuse is suspected, but Harry's not talking.  Was he abused?  What is he hiding? First fanfic!  Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

Summary: Harry Potter was discovered in an orphanage, not even knowing his name. To make matters worse, he was found at an orphanage where a child had been abused 5 years earlier. Dumbledore is worried about the extent of the abuse he might have received, but Harry isn't talking. At all. In fact, other than his timid nature, they aren't even certain he WAS abused. Will Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall be able to get him to talk? Was he abused? What is he hiding?

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Chapter 1

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A thin elderly woman with a pair of oval glasses sat in a well-lit cozy office, piles of papers in front of her. Her mousy brown hair was tied into a tight bun high up on her head and she was adorned in beautiful scarlet and gold robes that just barely reached the floor. Sighing, she set down her quill and leaned back heavily in her chair. Why did there have to be so many papers involved with new students? She was just now going over the letters explaining Hogwarts that she was sending out tomorrow. _Sigh_. Once that was done, she would be assisting Dumbledore in going to muggle-born children to explain and demonstrate how to get into Diagon Alley and getting all their magical stuff.

Leaning forward and brushing an imaginary loose stand of hair out of her face, the woman sat back up and grabbed another letter. She quickly scanned over the words for any important mistakes. Not finding any, the professor grabbed an envelope pre-addressed with magic. She scanned it without interest and she slipped the letter into the envelope. Her hand still hovered over it when the name registered in her mind. She snatched it back up, rereading it carefully. She let out a loud gasp and jumped out of her chair screaming "Albus! Albus!" She ran out of the office and raced down the corridor.

"Lemon Drops!" She yelled as she approached the golden eagle entrance to the Headmaster's Office. She ran up the steps that began to rotate two steps at a time. For an elderly woman she sure could run. She burst into the office, not bothering to knock and not caring if he had company. Fortunately he did not. Albus was sitting at his desk, the firelight from the candle on his desk making his long hair and beard sparkle silver. Half moon glasses were residing on his nose, and he was looking troubled by whatever he was reading. A beautiful crimson bird sat on a perch watching the woman. An assortment of indescribable items were scattered throughout the majestic room.

"Albus Dumbledore! Look at this!" She thrusted the letter in his face in an accusing voice. Startled, Dumbledore stared at the letter.

Harry James Potter

Number Twenty-Three

422 Tull Street

Sagan Memorial Orphanage

Confusion filled his face at first. Then horror. "You left him to those people Dumbledore!" She screamed at him, "You! And look where he got sent!"

"I know Minerva." Dumbledore sighed wearily, standing up slowly. "But now is not the time. We need to hurry." He strode out of the room, robes billowing behind him. The woman quickly caught up to him. They walked swiftly down the empty corridors, out unto the grounds, and to the edge of the forest. They disappeared the minute they passed the first tree of the Dark Forest.

They reappeared on a lonely street in west London. Only one building was on this street; a large gray stone building that looked on the verge of collapse. "We're going to this as properly as possible, Minerva. We don't need to add any stress to the boy. He's probably traumatized if this orphanage is anything like it was 5 years ago." Dumbledore pulled out his wand, waving it silently. Immediately his pale blue robes transformed into a dark pair of pants and a pale blue shirt. Minerva followed suit, exchanging her robes for a black skirt and scarlet shirt with gold lining. "Alright lets go."

A horrible feeling pierced Dumbledore, growing stronger with every step. 5 years ago they had come here for the same reason, to retrieve a future Hogwarts student. The poor girl had been abused. The only way she had been able to cope with it was by anger. It had been hard, with her constantly lashing out whenever she felt threatened. She had taken over a year to recover mentally from it. Sometimes still they saw her revert back to her old ways. Because magically they couldn't get involved, they had filed a complaint about the orphanage through muggle means, but they didn't know what, if any, action had been taken.

It was completely silent as Dumbledore knocked on the door. That's a good sign, right? Last time they had arrived to yelling and the sounds of things being thrown. Despite this, Dumbledore felt himself dreading what he would discover. Several minutes passed and no one answered. Dumbledore was about to grab the doorknob, when the door finally opened. A tall, completely average looking guy answered the door. His hair was a medium brown, his eyes also brown but they were very cold and detached. His skin was not pale, not tan. He wore blue jeans and a black T-shirt.

"What do you want?" the man asked rudely.

"We want to see your orphans, please." Dumbledore smiled pleasantly at him. It was a different man than last time, but those eyes...those eyes did not comfort either of his visitors.

"Sure, whatever." he said, nonchalantly. "Come inside." He motioned with his hand for them to follow him and strode lazily into the front room. The whole orphanage was rather plain and looked in need of repair. "Sit down if you like." he sat down in an old gray armchair. They apprehensively sat down on the musty couch. "So what kind of kid you looking for? We got lots and I'm sure you don't want to see all of them."

"Actually, we're looking for a specific child. His name is Harry. Harry Potter." Dumbledore stared right in the man's eyes, looking for a reaction.

"There aint a child that I know of with the name Harry Potter here. The children go by number at this orphanage." The man spoke irritably, but he didn't look away from Dumbledore's eyes.

"Number? That's horrible! This is children we're talking about!" Minerva's voice was venomous, but the man didn't seem to notice her comment at all. Dumbledore was silent, lost in thought. Several minutes passed.

"Can I see child number Twenty-Three?" Dumbledore asked finally.

"Number Twenty-Three! Get in here!" The man's voice was harsh. Dumbledore cringed. A minute later they saw a bright green eye peek around the door. _He has Lily's eyes_. Dumbledore and Minerva thought in unision. "Come on!" the man snarled irritably. The boy's eyes were downcast as he scuffled the rest of the way in nervously.

His black hair was shaggy and everywhere and his bright green eyes were suprisingly _old_. Yet he was small, so small. He didn't look more than 8 years old. Dumbledore felt his heart sink. "May we talk to him alone?" Dumbledore turned his eyes off the child to look at the man mumbled something that sounded like "whatever," and walked out of the room.

"Hello, child. Do you have a name?" Dumbledore asked gently. The child glanced up, but only for a second before shaking his head no. Dumbledore felt his lips fall into a frown. He was pretty sure he'd seen pain in those eyes. "Child...Do you have any unusual...marks?" The boy looked confused for a second, but then something dawned on him. He pulled up his hair, revealing a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Dumbledore and Minerva nodded, knowing that they had the right child.

"Did...Did you know about my scar?" he was looking at them, curious and slightly afraid.

"Yes, child. See, we came here to take you to our school." Dumbledore answered. Shock crossed the boy's face.

"Me." he pointed to himself confused. "Why would you come for me?"

"Yes, you." Dumbledore smiled at him softly, though he hated how dejected he sounded. "Your very special to us. You see, we knew your parents. They were students of ours when they were kids. We also knew you when you were a baby." The boy stared at him with wide eyes.

"Do..Do you know my name? I mean...my birth name." the boy stuttered nervously, looking down. Dumbledore felt a pang in his heart. The child wanted to know his name. Such a small request consisdering what he must have went through.

"Your name is Harry. Harry James Potter." Dumbledore murmurred.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm finally updating! I know its been forever, but life's been hectic. My grandmother had to be hospitalized, and after 3 weeks there she died. We went out of town for the funeral. Then I got sick and sorta still am but I'm not totally miserable so I typed it up. I also typed up Chapter 3 yesterday, so it shouldn't be so long til I update. Anyway, I hope you like it! And whether you do or not, please review!

Chapter 2

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"Harry..." the boy murmured fascinated. "Harry James Potter. Harry Potter." He kept repeating it again and again in various ways.

"Yes, Harry Potter." Dumbledore smiled slightly.

The boy flinched; he had forgotten Dumbledore was there. Both Dumbledore and Minerva noticed this, but said nothing. They would confront him later, when things were more settled down.

"You mentioned a school? May I ask what school?" his voice was very quiet and polite.

"Yes. Hogwarts. The finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in all of England." Minerva supplied while handing him the envelop. Because this was a muggle orphanage, Minerva knew he would not believe in it at first. She just hoped he wouldn't strike out because he felt vulnerable when he did start believing it. She still remembered Esme. Being as powerful as she is, her accidental magic had nearly killed Minerva when she had announced that she was a witch.

Harry stared wide-eyed at her, clearly thinking that the elderly witch was a lunatic. He remained silent as he took the envelop, reading it quickly. He looked up, glancing between the two. He didn't look convinced.

"No." he stated simply.

Dumbledore was taken aback. "What?"

"No."

"What do you mean no? Surely you wish to learn magic?" Minerva spoke up first.

"No. I don't. Magic isn't real! You two are either fools, or you think I'm a fool!" his voice was venomous as memories reenacted themselves in his brain. He bowed his head and struggled to free himself. No, he wouldn't fall for it!

"Harry, you're not a fool and neither are we." Dumbledore spoke gently, but firmly. "Would you like proof of it?"

"No!" Harry look absolutely terrified, but it was too late. Dumbledore had already performed a simple levitation charm and now had the letter floating merrily about in the air. "Stop it! Stop it now!" Harry screamed while trying to catch the flying letter.

Dumbledore acquitted the spell, confusion all over his face at Harry's behavior. Harry caught the letter and immediately walked over to the fireplace and threw it into the fire. His green eyes watched the letter burn with relief. He was worried that some sort of magic was placed on it so that it wouldn't burn.

"Harry.." Dumbledore was surprised. Why was he acting this way? He had thought the boy would be surprised yes, but angry and defiant no. Esme had also been like this, because she had thought it a trick. He seemed to be perfectly aware of magic unlike Esme, but refusing to accept it at the same time. He hadn't been surprised that Dumbledore had made the letter hover at all. "Why don't you want to go to Hogwarts?"

"I..I like it here..." He avoided Dumbledore's eyes as he spoke. "My friends are here, not there. I would have to leave them."

"But you can return here for the holidays, Harry. Every summer. And Christmas and Easter if you chose." Dumbledore really did not want him to return at all, but if they could at least get him to Hogwarts, then maybe he would want to stay and not return, once he realizes how good he has it at Hogwarts...

Harry's face contorted with mixed feelings. He really, really wanted to go to Hogwarts, but what about the others? What about Penny?

"Penny?" Dumbledore asked. Harry jumped. Had he said that out loud?

"Um.. the cat. She lives in the woods behind here. She's my friend." Harry's nervousness was clear. He was wringing his hands and he looked like he was beating himself up mentally for mentioning her.

"A cat? That's perfectly fine! At Hogwarts you're allowed a single pet, an owl, toad, or cat." Dumbledore smiled. "Of course you can bring her!"

Harry stared at him. Penny had been his biggest worry, for he knew she relied on his bringing her the scraps from his dinner during the colder months when she wasn't able to catch as much prey. The others would be alright probably without him, as he wasn't much help anyway.

"Alright, I'll go." Harry announced. Dumbledore and Minerva smiled happily.

"Excellent, my boy! Now, unfortunately you destroyed your letter which listed all the supplies you need for Hogwarts but thankfully I have a list at Hogwarts in my office. We'll stop there and then go to Diagon Alley, the best place to purchase all said supplies." Dumbledore smiled merrily and raised from his seat. "We should probably inform your caretaker before running off. Harry," Dumbledore looked at him sharply, "You must never tell any non-magical folk about you being a Wizard or anything about magic, okay?" Harry solemnly nodded.

Thankfully, the man returned before they had left the room. "So?" he asked gruffly, clearly not concerned.

"We'll be taking him to our school. He may return for the holidays if he so chooses." Dumbledore declared.

"Good, one less brat to worry about." the man snickered and strolled out of the room, humming cheerfully.

Dumbledore frowned, but kept his mouth shut. "Come on, Harry. We're going to Diagon Alley. Professor Dumbledore will join us there after retrieving a supply list." Minerva smiled warmly at the small boy. "We'll be Apparating. Its a magical form of transportation. We'll disapparate from one place and apparate in another. It will feel rather strange so you know." Harry nodded quickly, but his eyes showed that he was a little bit scared.

"Hold onto my arm tightly. Do not let go until I say so." then Harry felt the intense pressure of being squeezed and then just as suddenly as it was there, it was gone.

Harry and Minerva were now in a pub, the famous Leaky Cauldron. Minerva looked down at Harry, just now remembering that he is famous. Once they knew Harry Potter was here, he wouldn't be left alone. She didn't know if he would be able to handle that.

"Harry!" Minerva bent down to his level and looked him in the eyes. Harry looked at her startled. He had never had someone come down to his level. "Harry, in the wizarding world you're famous. To get by without drawing too much attention to you, I want you to say your name is James Parker and to answer when I call you James, okay?" Harry nodded, but he was still confused. Why was he famous? "Alright let's go."

She let him quickly out of the pub ignoring the greetings she got from some of the customers. A lean man with a purple turban on his head stood in front of the back door, blocking their path. "Hello, Professor Quirrel. May I help you?" Minerva asked exasperated.

"M-Minerva! W-What a p-pleasure! W-who might this young m-man b-be?" Quirrel asked, seeing the small boy behind her. He already knew who it was, and she knew he knew. "Oh m-my! Is it H-Harry Potter?" he asked loudly so that everyone could here. Silence fell in the pub, all eyes on Harry, who was trying to hide behind Minerva. He stumbled and bumped Quirrel, who immediately let out a loud yell and was gasping as he stared at his hand that was turning to ash.

"You bastard!" Quirrel shrieked, his hand disintegrated. He was about to run out the door behind him when Dumbledore, now wearing pale blue robes, appeared in his way, face deathly serious. Quirrel let out a loud squeak of surprise and started backing away, only to back right into Harry. Harry screamed as pain ripped through him and he shoved and pushed Quirrel away, somehow or another knocking the turban off. Several people screamed in horror at the face that was the back of Quirrel's head. It was cracked and distorted, with only slits for a nose, and small beady red eyes glaring around.

"You fool! Kill the boy now, why you can!" the horrible voice that belonged to the face hissed. Quirrel grabbed Harry's throat. Harry, still in immense pain, struggled to free himself, barely realizing that the man who had grabbed him was literally falling apart. He thrust his hands onto Quirrel's face, pushing with all his might. Quirrel gave an eerie moan and his ashy body fell to the floor. Harry, gasping stared at what his hands had done.

"Harry, are you alright? Harry?" Dumbledore asked, worry evident in his voice. As Dumbledore crouched over the boy who was massaging his throat and coughing roughly. He rubbed the boy's back, trying to soothe him. He could see the wild fear and guilt in the boy's eyes. He was horrified because he had killed a man, even though Quirrel had been trying to kill him.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, a shadowy spirit was forming over the dead body of Quirrel. "Die!" the spirit form shrieked loudly surging toward Harry. Dumbledore, quickly acting, drew his wand and formed a shield, protecting Harry. The spirit screamed in anger before quickly flying away. Dumbledore released the shield, but he kept his wand at the ready. Minerva attempted to shoo away all the people that were gathering around, but she wasn't having any luck.

"What is going on here, headmaster?" A tall dark man with dark hair and pale skin appeared next to them. He spotted Harry on the floor and sneered.

"Ah Severus! Your suspicions about Quirrel were right. Voldemort had taken up being a parasite on his soul. Harry here just destroyed them." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling. Severus scowled.

"Good riddance." His voice was cold and hating. Harry cringed. Severus noticed, but he said nothing.

"Would you care to accompany us to get young Harry's things?" Dumbledore asked warmly, while Minerva groaned openly in the background.

"Why would I do that? He already has a famous entourage to accompany him to get some school books." the man sneered at Harry.

"Severus." Dumbledore frowned. He could feel the boy's hurt beside him and, while he didn't know what all he'd been through, the boy was probably desperate for affection. He more than likely hadn't had much kindness shown to him throughout his life. Severus angrily turned and walked out the pub with his cloaks billowing behind him.

"Ah oh well. I think Severus might be having a bad day." Dumbledore smiled, trying to subtly reassure the boy. He was quivering beside him. Harry could feel the hate the man had had for him and it scared him a little. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve it, though he was sure he did.

Dumbledore opened the door and gestured for Harry to go through. He did, Minerva right behind him, and Dumbledore bringing up the rear. Harry blinked. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it wasn't _this_. They were standing in a small cramped area with a brick wall directly in front of them. There wasn't but a little grass, as it clearly was trampled with use. He bowed his head, heartbroken. He knew it. It had just been a joke. They had tricked him, and now it was clear. They probably were delighted with themselves.

The sounds of bricks bumping each other got louder and louder until it finally brought Harry out of his self-induced misery and he looked up. He gasped very loudly as he watched the bricks reveal an alleyway where it seemed like everyone was dressed in long robes and cloaks and amazing magical items were displayed in shop windows everywhere. He even heard the people walking by saying strange things. "Remember Harry, third brick from the left." Dumbledore told him.

They made a quick stop at Gringotts where Harry discovered that his parents had left him a fortune. He had never had any money, so it was amazing to discover he was rich. Dumbledore entertained him with the history of Gringotts with assistance from a goblin named Griphook as they rode down to the vaults.

"Lets start with robes. Madame Malkin's is right over there." Minerva pointed to a small shop with beautiful robes displayed in the windows. "We'll wait right outside, okay?" Harry nodded and walked inside with apprehension. A pale boy with silvery blonde hair was inside.

"Hello." the boy said shyly. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

"Hello." Harry responded. Should he tell him his actual name or James Parker? He decided he would go ahead with his real name, since the pale boy would be learning it anyway at Hogwarts. "I'm Harry Potter."

The boy stared at him, mouth dropped open. "Really?" Harry nodded.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" he asked curiously, trying not to be invasive.

"Uh.. I don't know." Harry mumbled uncertainly.

"Oh yea! You were raised by muggles, so you don't know much about the magical world, right?" Draco asked.

"Muggles?"

"Non-magical people."

"Oh! And yea."

"Well at Hogwarts, there are four houses. You stay in you house dormitory, eat at your house table, and typically have classes with your house and maybe another house. They're like your siblings while at Hogwarts. I'll probably get put in Slytherin, like the rest of my family." Draco sighed. He didn't sound happy about it.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. He was now being measured by magical tape measures while a tall lady in the back was grabbing fabrics and magically cutting them to size.

"Well, Slytherin is supposed to be where all dark wizards come from so everyone in Slytherin is usually treated like they're really foul. I don't want to be a dark wizard, and I don't want to be hated." he mumbled, embarrassed. Draco didn't really know why he was telling Harry this. Harry nodded, understanding what he meant.

"Yea. By the way, unless you're in Slytherin, I'll probably have to treat you like dung at school. My father will expect it of me. So I guess I'm trying to say sorry, even though I haven't done anything yet." he sounded depressed.

"That's okay. I'm use to being treated like dung." Harry said bitterly. Draco looked at him sharply, wondering if what he was implying was what he meant. Before he could ask, Madame Malkin appeared holding two sets of three robes in her arms.

"Here you go boys. That will be 3 galleons each." She handed the robes to their respective owners who had already pulled out their money.

"Bye, Harry. I hope one day we can met as friends again." Draco smiled. Harry returned the smile and nodded. He had made his first friend.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry bout the long wait! I'm really really sorry! I meant to have it up early, but that turned out to be an epic fail. Instead, I was half-way through editing when I stopped and completely forgot about it until I got an email alert about it. I have no good excuses, so I'll TRY to make it up to you and have Chapter 4 done no later than this next weekend. I make no promises though, because I started college this past week and I might end up with mass amounts of homework, plus I'm supposed to be starting training for a job sometimes soon, whenever they get done with the influx from a new store opening. I'm going to start typing it up tomorrow, maybe even later today since I was feeling pretty into it when I finished editing. By the way, thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it! When I get one I feel more tempted to keep going, as a reminder that it's not all about me :D Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 3

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The rest of their trip to Diagon Alley was pretty uneventful. He had gotten some stuff for Penny, his cat, including a carrier, some food, toys, and treats, and a cat bed. He purchased his books, and a few others. Dumbledore had some excellent suggestions. Harry loved to read, so he was ecstatic that he could purchase some that were outside of the curriculum. Minerva got him a book about Quidditch as a birthday present. Dumbledore purchased for him a magical trunk, complete with multiple compartments, a light-weight charm, and a easy shrink button for when he needed it to be small enough to put in his pocket. Dumbledore smiled and his eyes twinkled when Harry showed great interest in potions when they were getting his potion supplies. Severus would be horrified. Harry got his wand and discovered that it was the twin to Voldemort. Minerva left to finish her letters, leaving Harry with Dumbledore. They were now having ice cream.

"Why am I famous?" Harry blurted out. It had been bugging him since Mcgonagall had told him.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, thinking how to tell him. "About a decade ago, a powerful dark wizard was terrorizing the magical and non-magical communities. He was murdering anyone who wasn't magical,"

"Muggles." Harry interrupted, remembering Draco. Dumbledore nodded.

"Muggles and muggle-born witches and wizards. Anyone who tried to stop him was also murdered."

"Why doesn't he like non-magical people?" Harry asked shocked.

"His father was a muggle, and abandoned him and his mother before he was born. I suspect he also had several very unpleasant experiences with them at other times." Dumbledore replied vaguely.

"Oh." Harry looked down. He couldn't help but think about his own experiences. He shuddered slightly; Dumbledore noticed.

"Your parents were on our side, the side that was working to overthrow him. He killed them on Halloween when you were still an infant." Dumbledore paused, letting it sink in. "He also tried to kill you, but you survived. Your scar is where the curse hit you, Harry. After the curse failed, Voldemort's power was taken from him. Your famous because your the only known survivor of the Killing Curse. Your even more famous because it appears that you overthrew the dark lord."

Harry was amazed. How could he had done all this? And when he was a baby too. "H-how? How did I survive?" Harry asked.

"No one knows for certain, but I have a theory." Dumbledore smiled. "Your mother sacrificed herself to protect you Harry. Her love was a powerful ancient magic that embedded itself in your very skin when she died. Even something as strong and evil as the Killing Curse couldn't hurt you then."

Harry sighed. He shouldn't be famous, his mother should. She is the one who destroyed Voldemort. He had just been the embodiment that allowed her magic to work.

"Alright Harry, let's go pick up Penny." Dumbledore smiled and offered his arm. "We'll be Apparating back." Harry nodded and grabbed on tightly. Once again he experience the squeezing sensation, and then it was gone.

Once there, Harry led the way to the backyard and whistled sharply three times to call Penny. Almost immediately a beautiful amber-eyed cat with long copper and white fur appeared. Her tail shot straight up at the sight of him and she rubbed her body on his legs, purring. "Hey girl" Harry murmured rubbing her head. "We're going somewhere new, Pen, so I need you to get in this carrier." he explained. He grinned happily as she willingly walked into the carrier. Dumbledore watched this with a smile. This feline had magical blood in her veins.

"Is there anything else you need to get Harry? From your room, maybe?" Dumbledore asked. Harry looked thoughtful for a minute, before nodding. He walked towards the house, knocking on the door before entering.

Dumbledore waited on the porch while Harry walked quickly to his room. He shared it with 3 other boys. His bed was labeled with a big twenty-three on the headboard. After setting down Penny in her carrier, he pulled up the mattress on his bed and withdrew his small drawing pad and pencil. Harry loved to draw, and most of them were of Penny. He had a few pictures of trees and one of a friend of his that had ran away from the orphanage. He gathered what little clothing he had and stuffed it into his backpack, picked up the handle of the carrier, and returned to Dumbledore.

"All set?" Dumbledore noticed the ragged backpack. There clearly wasn't much he owned. Harry nodded.

Harry spent the next month at the Leaky Cauldron. Dumbledore had told him to stay in Diagon Alley when he went out, which Harry happily obliged. He was so curious about the wizarding world that he had no desire to return to the boring muggle world. He spent most of his time enjoying the warm sun outside reading with Penny relaxing by his side.

He met several Hogwarts students of all years. He met a family of red-heads that he really enjoyed being around, especially the one that was his age, Ron. They had become friends instantly. He also liked the Weasley twins who were always playing pranks on their older brother Percy. They had a sister, Ginny, but she seemed very shy and awkward around him. Ron said she had a crush on him, which was embarrassing for him too. Mrs. Weasley was very kind and motherly, or at least what he thought of as motherly, towards him too. Her husband was asking all sorts of questions about muggles when he was around, but Harry liked him too. They came back every week to see him which made Harry very happy.

He also met a muggle-born witch named Hermonie. She was very smart, and Harry enjoyed listening to her thorough explanations of things. She knew tons about the wizarding world. Harry was pretty sure she had a photographic memory and that was why she remembered almost everything she read. She was there for the two weeks before school started so he was never alone then.

He saw Draco from time to time while there, usually with his father. Draco looked very much like his father, but his father seemed to be harsh and terrifying from Draco's behavior around him. Draco always looked so worried and tense when he was with his father. When Draco's father let him wander around, Draco and Harry would sneak up to Harry's room and play wizarding games like Wizard's Chess, Exploding Snaps, and Gobstones. They also traded wizarding cards and simply talked. They talked mostly about quidditch because they both were really interested in it and Malfoy mentioned that he would love to be seeker. He gave tips and advice on flying for the first time and described some of the games he had seen. Harry really enjoyed being around Draco, even though he knew that their friendship would end, or at least be hidden, at the beginning of the school year.

Eventually September 1st rolled around and Harry was loaded with other children into vehicles to transport them to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He sat with Hermonie, who babbled excitedly the entire ride about everything she had learned from Hogwarts: a History. Which was a lot. Harry didn't mind though because he didn't have to think about something to say back. It left him time to wonder and anticipate Hogwarts quietly. He he wondered what Hogwarts was like, he realized that the month at the Leaky Cauldron had been the best days of his life. He had had a lot of fun with his friends and really enjoyed the freedom of doing whatever he wanted. He sighed contentedly. Hermonie, not missing a beat in her speech, smiled. She could tell he was happy and that made her happy. She suspected he had had a hard life before.

They arrived at the platform at 10:30. Harry had shrunk his trunk and put it in his pocket, so all he had to carry was Penny and her carrier. Leaving Penny with the bushy-haired girl, Harry went and got Hermonie a trolley and, after helping Hermonie load her stuff, he added Penny on top.

They had been instructed how to get onto the platform so they took off towards Platforms Nine. They were greeted by a solid brick barrier, as they had been told they wood. Taking a deep breath, they took off running towards it. They closed their eyes for a second right before they hit the wall, missing passing though. They looked around, amazed by the sheer number of witches and wizards seeing their children off. Harry and Hermonie looked at each other, eyes locking. They understood. They both felt a pang as they realized their parents weren't seeing them off.

"Let's go get a seat." Hermonie said, distracting Harry. She could tell he was dwelling. He had admitted that while he doesn't really remember his parents, he missed them terribly sometimes. Harry nodded and they made their way through the crowd. Harry spotted Draco and gave him a curt not, understanding as of today they couldn't be seen as friends. Draco nodded and smiled sadly back. Harry looked away to help Hermonie load her trunk onto the train.

Harry grinned when Ron joined them. Harry introduced him to Hermonie, but Ron didn't seem to really like Hermonie, which disappointed Harry. Ron also didn't like Penny much, for she kept trying to attack Scabbers, Ron's rat. Harry couldn't understand why. She always listened when he asked her not to do something. With Scabbers, she meowed back as if in protest. He wished he could understand her. It worried him because he knew Ron and him would be in the same dormitory and she might kill Scabbers. He had already decided he would go check out the library at school for a spell to understand her.

As the train rushed forward Harry, Ron, and Hermonie played various games. Later Neville Longbottom and his toad joined them. Harry really couldn't understand Penny. She listened to him now, even though she clearly wanted to chase him too, but the minute Ron produced Scabbers she was hissing and spitting at him and trying to catch him. It was like she hated the rat.

At one point Draco and his friends Crabbe and Goyle came in, but they didn't stay long. When Crabbe insulted Ron's family, Penny pounced. She landed on Crabbe, clawing and slashing. The large boy yelled in pain and yanked the cat off. Harry saw a smirk on Draco's face as he grabbed the two boys and rushed out, pretending to be angry and a little scared while yelling "Crazy cat!"

When they finally arrived at Hogwarts, it was dark. They got off the train looking around uncertainly, not really sure where to go. Harry looked at Hermonie, who shook her head, clearly as lost as he was. "Firs' years over her'!" A gruff booming voice called out over the heads. Harry looked over towards the voice and saw a large shaggy man. He was probably twice as tall as any normal sized man. Harry followed as Ron led the way towards him. As Harry got closer, he was able to distinguish more features. The giant man seemed familiar, though Harry wasn't sure how.

The giant man smiled at Harry. "I'm Hagrid. I'm the Gameskeeper for Hogwarts." Harry nodded and smiled but Hagrid was shouting out "Firs' Years over her'!" again before he could reply. Harry saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle appear as well as some other students he didn't recognize. "Fer to a boat. Now com' on, hurry up." Harry, Ron, Hermonie, and Neville got into a boat together and watched as the others did the same.

Eventually they set off at a nice slow pace. No one spoke much, too curious and excited to say anything. When Hogwarts appeared, the first years collectively let out a gasp. The magnificent castle was huge, with towers and softly lit windows. A long bridge connected the castle with the land surrounding it, similar to the mote and bridge of a sand castle. The sight was truly outstanding.

They arrived on the shore, Hagrid yelling "Alrigh' into the castle yer go." He smiled again at Harry as Harry filed in with Hermonie by his side. Neville stumbled and nearly fell into the lake if Harry, Ron, and Hermonie hadn't caught him. They ended up near the back of the line. Inside Harry spotted Mcgonagall.

"Over here!" she called. Harry locked eyes with her and flashed her a smile, which she returned. "In a few minutes, you will enter the Great Hall. There you will be sorted into one of the four houses. There's Griffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. Your house will be like your family while you're at Hogwarts. Please wait here, while I inform the headmaster. She left the room to announce to Dumbledore that the first years had arrived, including Harry, who Dumbledore was mostly concerned about.

Mcgonagall opened the Great Hall doors, calling out "Get in a line and follow me," and without looking at them really led them in. Hundreds of candles floated in the air above four huge tables.  
>Empty golden platters lined the dark wood tables. The ceiling was extremely high and represented the outside sky, which was clear. The stars sparkled like tiny diamonds in the sky. Mcgonagall moved the stool and placed the Sorting Hat on top of it. The hat immediately broke out into song, explaining how he would sort them and traits for each house.<p>

Then Mcgonagall began calling out names. The list seemed to be forever. By the time they got to the P's, Mcgonagall and Dumbledore were tired of the sorting. They wanted to see Harry and where he would be sorted. They both were fairly confident that he would be Griffindor, like his parents.

"Harry Potter." Mcgonagall finally called out. Silence. No one moved forward. Hermonie and Ron looked around. Dumbledore felt a cold fear rush over him. Standing up, Dumbledore peered into the confused first years. All of them seemed as confused as he was, and more importantly, none of them were Harry.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called out loudly. The silence returned.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I did what I promised that I'd try to do! I didn't have time to really edit, so sorry if it ain't so great. In fact, when I was planning on editing this chapter, I started rewriting huge chunks of it. In fact, Draegonora (you'll see what I'm talking about later) was a totally spur of the moment idea. Now I really have no clue where my story will take me, but I'm still liking it so far. I don't think I'll have a hard time with ideas to keep it going, but if you think I should do something in particular, leave a review or send me a message and I'll be sure to take it into consideration.

Now I just wanted to respond to my reviews now so I could clear up a few things. I really do appreciate the feedback so please keep reviewing!

Starting from my first ever reviewer! Yukikiralacus

**Yukikiralacus: **Thank you! I hope that my story is still enjoyable to you! And you'll find out where Harry went this chapter! And once a week is definately pushing my limit on how soon I can update, so I hope you don't mind the wait too much! Once things settle down some, I'm going to try to push myself to updating consistantly once every two weeks. So by October I should be doing better about updating =D

**T.H. Enesley: **I'm hoping to save the turning point in his life for a little later. So please be patient and you'll see.

**DarkTiger340: **I'll try to not make him totally evil, for Ilike a nice mixed black-and-white character, but for right now at least he will appear to be completely evil.

**Anonymous: **thank you so much! I just wish I could thank you properly, with your username XD

**Rider: **There is something important that will happen with Harry and Severus, as well as some more important orphanage scenes, but I'm holding off for a while. You'll get more of what you ask for even if it takes a while, I promise.

**BookWorm77071: **I'm so glad you love my story that much! It really did make my heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I'm really trying to make my stories unique just because I know I prefer to read stories that don't follow the same old story line. If I can predict what's going to happen, then I'm more likely to become bored with it. I just love it when it throws in some twists that totally catch me off gaurd especially if its subtly hints at it ahead of time. This really is my first fanfiction, at least to actually really write and publish. I've written a lot of little snippets scenes that if I continued them would make good fanfiction plot bunnies, but I never seem to get to that or publishing. Honestly this is the first thing I've written that actually is still being continued. I wrote a couple of short stories, but I'm terrible and expanding into a full story.

**TheBlackSeaReaper: **I'm really glad you like it! Thank you! Hopefully this chapter will be satisfying?

**Wolfawaken: **Thank you for pointing that out! I didn't realize how choppy it sounded until I went back and reread it! And I've really been trying to work on improving flow, and I can't seem to get it right. That's definately the hardest part of writing to me.

Chapter 4

~~~XXX~~~

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called. Silence greeted him once again.

Dumbledore looked at Mcgonagall with a cold fear starting to spread throughout him. "Minerva?"

"I swear he was there Albus! He smiled at me when I saw him!" Minerva voice quavered as she began to picture horrific scenes, each one as unlikely as the next. Hogwarts was extremely safe, no one had ever pierced through the protective barrier so chances are nothing too bad had again, no student had ever gone missing right before the Sorting.

"Find him." Dumbledore ordered his staff. Immediately they all stood and walked out of the Great Hall. Dumbledore noticed Snape's scowl, but Dumbledore knew better. Snape, though he would never admit it, cared about Lily's child. He might despise the Potter side of him, but he would never intentionally hurt him.

Dumbledore tried to calmly and patiently wait for their return, as he couldn't leave the students to fend for themselves in case there was something dangerous in the castle. Several minutes passed by without news, Dumbledore growing more and more anxious by the minute. Dumbledore was seriously considering looking for the boy himself, after calling Minerva back. Snape would never forgive him if he made him stay with the students so Dumbledore didn't even consider him.

Just as he was preparing to summon his own pheonix patronus, a silver doe glided into the Great Hall. It belonged to Snape.

"Severus has found the child and is with him in a classroom right outside the Great Hall. The child doesn't appear to be injured. He wishes you to come to him swiftly. Flitwick and Hagrid are coming now to supervise the students. " the doe's soft whispery voice told him. Dumbledore felt some relief, but the anxiety didn't completely leave. Snape would just bring the boy back if something wasn't wrong.

As Dumbledore was about to exit through the Great Hall doors, Hagrid and Flitwick appeared. They clearly didn't know what was going on, for both had perplexed expressions. Before Dumbledore could ask, they shook their heads at him. Continuing on, the old man saw a door open nearby, so he assumed that must be where Snape and Mcgonagall were. He walked in warily, not sure what to expect.

The room seemed pretty bare, all the desks were stacked and placed on one side of the room. The chalkboard had dusty smudges all over, and dust covered everything. Dumbledore sneezed as he walked into the room, causing dust to fly everywhere. As he recovered, he realized that there was some sort of beast snarling and growling ferociously. It looked like a panther almost, except as large as a horse and with long reddish and white fur. Amber eyes stared at him, daring him to step towards him.

Then Dumbledore saw Harry. He had his head buried in his knees, with his arms wrapped around him, rocking himself in the corner. He did seem to be physically fine however. Dumbledore couldn't see any injuries or blood. Dumbledore took a step forward, and immediately the panther-beast snarled and lashed out. It was a good thing Dumbledore's reflexes weren't so slow otherwise his arm probably would have been slashed off.

Now Dumbledore understood more. The creature felt it was protecting Harry and that everyone else is dangerous, at least to the boy. Dumbledore also realized the creature must be Penny. She was a were-cat. The only problem was, why had the cat shifted forms, and why was Harry curled up in a corner of a dusty classroom during the Sorting?

"Penny." Dumbledore said soothingly. He could see recognition in the feline's amber eyes. She stopped snarling, but Dumbledore didn't want to risk making her feel more threatened. "I'm not going to hurt Harry. I want to help him." now he held his hands up in a non-threatening manner. "Severus too. We're both trying to help Harry. We won't hurt him." The feline remained tense, but she understood what he was saying.

The were-cat shifted back to the size of a house-cat. She moved close to Harry, and twitched her tail towards him, indicating they could come closer. Dumbledore slowly approached but Snape stared in shock back. Not much could startle Snape, but the headmaster seemed to be an expert at it. A were-cat? And how did the headmaster know the cat's name? And most of all, why was it protecting Harry?

Were-cats were very rare creatures who almost never dedicated their loyalty to a human. The main method to gain a were-cats loyalty was to save its life, which is very hard to do as were-cats are extremely intelligent and powerful. Usually whatever threatened a were-cat's life was something no human could prevent or stop. In fact, were-cat's were known for using humans as scapegoats to save themselves.

Dumbledore crouched down slowly next to Harry, careful not to touch him. "Harry?" Dumbledore called softly. Harry looked up sharply and Dumbledore gasped. Harry's glasses were gone, giving him a full look at Harry's eyes. His emerald green eyes were glazed over and wild looking and lost. He didn't seem to know who Dumbledore was. He starred blankly at him for several seconds, unnerving Dumbledore, before suddenly letting out a snarl. Dumbledore quickly backed away, calming Harry down.

Penny caught his eye. She was staring at him intently. At first Dumbledore thought it was because he had made Harry feel threatened, but that wasn't it. She pointedly turned her gaze on Harry then looked back at Dumbledore. She was trying to tell him something, but Dumbledore couldn't figure out what.

Harry suddenly cried out in pain, then slumped over unconscious. Penny looked at Harry, almost with sadness. Then she gave a strange meow and Dumbledore knew she wanted him to take care of Harry now that he was unconscious. Dumbledore approached Harry carefully in case Harry was to wake suddenly or Penny was to change her mind. He gently touched Harry's shoulder, and the boy unconsciously flinched away.

Pulling out his wand, he conjured a stretcher and levitated Harry onto it. Dumbledore quickly walked Harry to the Hospital Wing with Penny following closely behind him, not even noticing Snape was still there. Snape, however, had watched the entire scene closely. He wasn't sure what to make of it, and with a great sigh returned to the Great Hall.

The Sorting had continued after Dumbledore returned. He hadn't explained Harry's disappearance to the students, so naturally the entire feast they continued to talk excitedly about Harry Potter. Harry's friends, Ron and Hermonie, brooding silently the entire time, worried sick about Harry. At the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy was doing a much better job at hiding it. He didn't like that Harry hadn't been brought back to the feast, suggesting he was hurt. He talked and even forced himself to laugh and make fun of Potter.

After the feast, instead of following the prefects as they had been told, Ron and Hermonie approached Dumbledore nervously. Draco saw this, and knowing what they were going to ask, hung around, trying to not be too conspicuous, though he knew it was futile. "Dumbledore, where's Harry?" Hermonie spoke first. Dumbledore looked down at her for a minute, surprised by how quickly Harry had gained loyal friends who would look out for him.

"Unfortunately Harry is unconscious in the Hospital Wing. Before you ask, I'm not exactly certain what happened. All I know is it involved a were-cat." Dumbledore finally answered.

"What's a were-cat?" Ron looked terribly concerned.

"Its a very rare creature somewhat similar to a were-wolf. It can shape-shift into any feline creature, magical or not, and at any time."

"Did it hurt him?" Hermonie asked amazed.

"I don't think so. The creature seemed to be protecting him."

"From what?" Ron and Hermonie asked perplexed.

"I don't know." Dumbledore revealed. "Maybe young Mr. Potter will tell us when he awakens."

"Can we go see him?" Ron blurted out. Dumbledore smiled.

"Absolutely! I'll escort you myself, as I want to see if Poppy can tell us anything more." Ron and Hermonie smiled back gratefully.

As they began walking to the Hospital Wing, Hermonie began to bombard him with questions about were-cats, while Ron seemed to be silently contemplated everything he heard. He was still in shock from discovering Harry was not behind him like he had thought.

After revealing all he knew about were-cats, Dumbledore and the two amazed students arrived at the Hospital Wing. Poppy greeted him, looking worried and as confused as everyone else. This didn't comfort Dumbledore at all, but he tried to remain calm.

"Hello Poppy. How is the child?"

"I honestly can't tell you. After you left, I tried to run some tests on the boy but none of them will work. So I tried the muggle way. The only problem is, the only thing I was able to do was place my hand on his forehead before that cat started hissing at me. I tried to immobilize the cat with a hex so I could do more, but my magic won't work." Poppy spoke with irritation at her own helplessness.

"That's because she's a were-cat. There's powerful magic in her blood that prevents any witch or wizard from putting a spell of her." The gravity of Dumbledore's words hit the nurse, causing her to gasp loudly.

"A … were-cat? Wh...?" She spluttered in shock. Dumbledore nodded.

Before anything else could be said, Harry awoke looking very confused. He rubbed his eyes, which thankfully were clear now, and peered around him amazed. "Where am I?" he asked, spotting Dumbledore. He also noticed Ron and Hermonie, looking worried, and a lady dressed in white looking like she had seen Death himself.

"You're in the Hospital Wing, Harry." Dumbledore looked at him, no trace of merriness in his eyes. As Harry opened his mouth to say something Dumbledore continued, "You disappeared at the Sorting and though we managed to find you quickly, we aren't exactly sure what happened. Would you care to inform us?"

Harry stared blankly back for several seconds. Then a look of deep thought crossed his face before his face contorted in confusion. "I don't remember, Professor. I remember seeing Hogwarts for the first time while we were in the boats crossing the lake, and then Mcgonagall, but after that everything goes fuzzy. I faintly remember Penny and a dark haired man wearing black robes."

"Hmm..." Dumbledore was thoughtful, a theory already forming in his mind. "Well, you seem to be alright, but we still should let Madame Pomfrey check over you. Would you call off Penny?"

Harry nodded and softly whistled at the hissing cat. She calmed and looked at him. "Penny, let this lady do a check up on me, okay? She's not going to hurt me." Penny looked at him for a second before snuggling her paws under her and laying down. She watched carefully from her position on Harry's bed.

Madame Pomfrey wearily approached Harry, about to perform a diagnostic spell to show her what all was physically wrong with the boy, but she has to physically touch him for the spell to work. Harry sensed the spell and quickly borrowed a touch of Penny's magic.

Harry James Potter

Age: 11

Blood type: B

Physical afflictions:

None

The words had magically been written in the air in a sprawling hand. Madame Pomfrey looked at the words before nodding. "It says there's nothing wrong with him. I guess he may leave tonight." She said the last part reluctantly.

Dumbledore smiled cheerfully. "Well that's certainly good news. Now Mr. Potter we should take you downstairs and find out what house your going to be in. Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, if you'll be so kind and come with us."

The two first years jumped. They had been completely silent the entire time and nearly forgotten about. Dumbledore led the three 11 year old's and Penny out the doors and to his office.

They stared at the beautiful golden eagle statue entrance while Dumbledore cheerfully said "Sugar Quills!" They followed him up the rotating stairs and into the beautiful office. "Hello, Fawkes." Dumbledore greeted the stunning phoenix who trilled a note before flying up and landing on the elderly man's shoulder.

Mcgonagall was waiting in the office anxiously, knowing Dumbledore would be returning at some point. To everyone's surprise, Snape was also there. The two professors spotted the students behind Dumbledore as well as the small cat. Harry was clearly the most amazed of the three, his eyes nearly popping out of his head at the moving pictures of former headmasters on the walls and the intricate items displayed everywhere.

"Professors, I see you've come to witness Harry's Sorting." Dumbledore smiled. Mcgonagall smiled relieved that the boy was alright, while Snape sneered but remained silent. "Will you set up Minerva?"

Obliging, she pulled the stool to the side of the large desk and grabbed the sorting hat from atop a shelf. Dumbledore explained, seeing the boy's bewildered face, "Harry, this hat is not just any hat. This is the sorting hat. He will place you in one of four houses, Griffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each house is known for having certain traits that mark them as so. Griffondors are brave, Slytherins are cunning, Ravenclaws are extremely intelligent and studious, and Hufflepuffs are very fair. As Mcgonagall told you, your house will be your family while your here. Now, go sit on the stool and Mcgonagall will place the hat and your head so you can be sorted."

Clearly nervous, Harry went and sat upon the stool. The hat dropped below his eyes and ears and managed to be stopped by his little nose. Harry jumped as the hat's voice filled his ears. "Hmm, Harry Potter, is it? Why are you being sorted after all the others. I do believe this is a first. You have a fair bit of bravery in you, as well as a bit slyness. Both Gryffindor and Slytherin would suit you well. You do tend to be fair-minded too, and an excellent mind as well. Too bad the ancient fifth house has been destroyed. They were the elite of the school, didn't belong in any one group, just as you don't. I wonder if Dumbledore would allow it if I did so?" Harry could hear the amusement in the hat's voice, as if he really was toying with the idea just to irritate Dumbledore.

But Harry felt as if he had had enough attention brought to him so he irritatedly thought, "Place me in ONE of the FOUR houses. I do NOT belong with this supposed elite group that no longer exists."

"Oh, really? Do you not believe me?" the house asked, still amused. "I can vouch it does exist. All you have to do is say Draegonora to Dumbledore and he'll go into shock. Dumbledore was alive when the elite house existed and truly believed he belonged into such a house. Instead he was placed into Gryffindor because while he had a great mind and was extremely brave, he was not elite. He wasn't pleased that I didn't place him into the group, and when he became a teacher, he convinced the current headmaster to no longer have five groups because he 'felt that other students might not believe themselves good enough and those that were placed into the elite group were growing arrogant in their placement.'"

Harry was surprised, but he still didn't want to be placed as the only elite student. Clearly reading his thoughts, the hat responded accordingly, "Oh your not the only elite student. Your friend Hermonie over there is also elite, as is Draco Malfoy and a few others. Since Dumbledore wouldn't allow me to publicly announce anyone of being of Draegonora, I told them in their heads where they will have information revealed to them as to where to go to receive extra lessons and learn hints and tips of the magic Draegonora students can perform where no one else can. Would you care to join?" Harry smiled in relief and gladly accepted this. "Now then, we must still put you in one of the four houses. How about GRYFFINDOR!" the hat suddenly yelled in his ears, startling Harry. "Sorry I know the yelling was unnecessary. Ask Hermonie where to -"

Before the hat could continue, Mcgonagall pulled the hat off Harry's head. Harry blinked at the sudden light and stood up. Dumbledore smiled at him warmly. "A brave Gryffindor, just like your parents. Congratulations!" Harry smiled back, pleased that he would still appear to be like everyone else, especially like his parents. However, at the mention of his parents, he couldn't help noticing that Snape's scowl, which has deepened at the shout of his house, had become even more severe.

"Now Harry, you're probably hungry and you've missed the feast, so you'll have to settle for some sandwiches and pumpkin juice. Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, your welcome to join him as I noticed you didn't eat much tonight."

Ron and Hermonie smiled gratefully and joined Harry in digging into the plate of sandwiches that had magically appeared. They quickly ate their fill before Dumbledore spoke again.

"Alright its been a big day for you three. Now lets get you all in bed." As if in agreement, Harry yawned loudly. Harry picked up Penny and they followed Dumbledore to the Gryffindor common room. "Fortuna Major is your password to get into your common room. Good night and good luck with your classes tomorrow."

As they walked into the common room, the saw many students talking excitedly and all almost about the same thing: Harry Potter. No one knew that Harry had been found, or what had happened. The Gryffindor's didn't even know that Harry belonged in their house. Harry might have been able to make it to his dorm room unnoticed if Ron didn't have brothers wondering where he had went.

"Eh, Ronnikens!" One of the identical red-headed twins called, drawing attention to the trio. Gasps sounded throughout the room as they realized that Harry Potter was no longer missing, and in fact was walking beside one of the Weasleys in the Gryffindor common room. Then cheers erupted as they realized they had got Harry Potter. Harry was being dragged around helplessly when suddenly someone yanked on his arm hard, freeing him.

"Come on Harry!" Harry heard Ron's voice nearby and was being dragged up the stairs quickly with complaints from downstairs ignored. He was pulled inside their dorm and thankfully let go of.

"Thanks mate." Harry sank to the floor rubbing his arm where Ron had been gripping him tightly.

"No problem." Ron grinned at him.

Hermonie joined them a few minutes later, smiling. Percy had gone on scolding everyone for dragging a first year around like a party trophy when they had no clue what had happened just because he was Harry Potter. Harry had never liked Percy more. He was glad Hermonie had joined as well, as he needed to find out when their first lesson as part of Draegonora would be. He wondered if Ron was also part of Draegonora. The hat hadn't mentioned Ron, but had Hermonie, so he doubted it.

"Draegonora." he stated clearly without emphasis. Hermonie jumped and looked at him with wide eyes, but Ron clearly was confused.

"What?"

"Um...nothing, mate." Harry said quickly.

"Okay then. I'm going to go take a shower real quick." Ron didn't seem to notice their looks or suspect something was up. He gathered their clothes and walked out of the room.

"Should we tell him?" Hermonie asked watching the door. "He's bound to notice something's up eventually."

"Yea that's true, but we aren't supposed to tell anybody are we?" Harry didn't like the idea of deceiving Ron anymore than Hermonie. "Anyway, the hat told me to ask you about the first meeting."

"Oh its tonight at two. We're supposed to go a room on the first floor, not far from the Great Hall. There's a portrait of a young girl with violet eyes guarding the room. The password is just Draegonora the first night apparently."

"Tonight at two? We're going to be so sleep deprived tomorrow." Harry groaned, even though he was excited as well. Hermonie nodded, eyes shining. "What time is it now?"

"Almost midnight." only two hours to go.

Ron returned to them talking excitedly about classes tomorrow. He didn't join in, instead choosing a quidditch book. When Hermonie left a few minutes later, Ron was fast asleep. Harry pretended to be sleeping when the rest of their dorm-mates came in at about one.

Only one hour to go.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

~~~XXX~~~

"There you are Harry!" Hermonie's soft voice whispered next to him.

"Sorry, my roommates were still awake and talking even a few minutes ago." Harry wearily looked over his shoulder. "Plus, I can't help but wonder if Ron was awake. I could've sworn I saw him open his eyes and look at me when I got up. He didn't say anything, though. I bet he notices something is up Hermonie. We're probably going to have to tell him."

"But we aren't supposed to." Hermonie sounded nervous. "When we get there we can ask for advice on what to do."

"Good idea. There might be some sort of spell for aversion that we could use." Harry looked like he didn't like the idea very much though.

"There are some, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to perform them yet. We're only novices ourselves."

Harry shrugged and they set off. Pushing open the portrait, they quickly slipped into the shadows.

"Harry, what if we get caught by the teachers? We aren't supposed to be out this late." Hermonie's voice quavered. The girl was really terrified of rule-breaking, Harry realized.

"Then let's not get caught." Harry mumbled back and sped up. They met no teachers thankfully on their way. They now stood in front of the small portrait of the violet-eyed girl. It was waist height and only about 2 feet square.

"Are you sure this is the right portrait Hermonie? It's awfully small." Harry eyed the portrait incredulously. Hermonie nodded, but her eyes betrayed her uncertainty.

"That's what the Sorting Hat said."

"Well, let's try it I guess."

"Draegonora!" They called out in unison.

"Have fun getting through!" the girl snickered as she swung the frame forward. The tunnel was even smaller, not even a foot square across. There was no way they could fit through. Harry was small, but not that small. Hermonie groaned in frustration.

"Maybe we have to make it bigger? As some sort of test of our intelligence and power?" Harry pondered aloud.

"Why, you're quite sharp!" The portrait swung shut again, revealing the sarcastic face of the girl. "Now what are you going to do about it?" She gleefully watched Hermonie's bewildered face, not noticing Harry's intense concentration until she started to expand.

"You _are_ sharp, and powerful too!" She looked at him as if for the first time, respect in her eyes. "But not sharp enough! You still haven't made the tunnel grow, just my frame." To prove her point she swung forward again.

Harry looked at her for a moment confused before silently walking into the much larger tunnel.

"Huh? Wait, when did you do that?" the portrait shrieked loudly behind him, arms flailing in surprise. Hermonie, recovering some from her own surprise, jogged to catch up with him. They could still hear the portrait girl grumbling under her breath when it snapped shut behind them, leaving them in complete darkness.

"Harry?" Hermonie whispered, clearly terrified. Harry stretched his arm out towards her cautiously. Their hands meet about half-way and he pulled her closer. Her fear subsided enough for her to think clearly and soon she had an idea in her head.

Harry felt her drawing up her own power and then concentrating it. Soon a ball of soft light was glowing in her palm. Behind them was the darkness of the portrait, but ahead there was something. They couldn't quite tell what, but it was slightly lighter, maybe a room?

They eagerly quickened their pace, joy at finally knowing where they were going. They came out in a large stone room. Violet and white tapestries hung on the wall, glowing orange in places because of the warm firelight that flickered off of them. Comfortable furniture with intricate dragon patterns adorning the fabric was placed in a circular manner. Everyone could see everyone else while sitting anywhere. There was 3 heavy oaks doors adjoining the main room, clearly labeled on the doors in fancy script Restroom, Dueling Room, Library. There was about 20 people in all in the room of various years and houses.

"Don't just sit there, come sit down!" a squeaky high-pitched voice called them. Harry and Hermonie looked around confused, wondering where the voice was coming from. "Over here!" the voice called again. It was coming from what looked like a miniature dragon. It had gleaming violet scales and obsidian eyes, sharp white spines running down its back all the way down to its tail, where they clumped together at the tip, and transparent leathery white wings, somewhat similar to a bat's with long black talons protruding from large scaly paws.

It was such a fearsome looking creature, and yet when it spoke again, neither Harry nor Hermonie were able to conceal their giggles. The creature noticed and became infuriated.

"Think my voice is funny, do you?" Harry and Hermonie yelped and ducked behind some furniture to avoid the flames that the dragon suddenly emitted.

"Sorry!" They mumbled together in apology as they wearily stood back up. A few of the older students in the room chuckled at them, remembering their own first days. The younger ones frowned,

some never having seen the dragon do that before, or the memory still fresh in their mind.

"Apology accepted. Now go sit down so we can begin." The dragon huffed, still annoyed. The two first years quickly went and sat down, terrified about angering the dragon further.

"My name is Sigal. You may call me nothing else. I will not stand for silly nicknames nor for formalities. Yes, I am your mentor, but I am also your friend. If you need someone to talk to, or to ask advice from, you are welcome to ask me. I will not turn you down. We cannot have emotional problems inhibiting your abilities. I cannot stand when that happens.

"I will be training you each personally and based off your own abilities. It is true that while you're elite, there are still some in here that surpass others in some ways. Some are faster learners, some are slower, but incredibly more powerful. Some are smarter and more clever. I will teach you at the pace you learn best, but you are expected to reach full potential before you graduate Hogwarts."

"What if we don't reach our full potential?" Draco asked nervously.

"I've never had that happen, child, but I suppose if it does, I will arrange with you before you leave Hogwarts a schedule to continue your training." Draco nodded, feeling a little better.

"Now tonight we're not doing much. I just wanted to see how you all are doing, refresh your memories of time-setting, inform you of the new password for next week, and set up schedules. I'll set up individual schedules when you first met with your year. Seventh years, you'll met up with me on Sunday. Sixth, Monday. Fifth, Tuesday. Fourth, Wednesday. Third, Thursday. Second, Friday. First, Saturday. Understand?" Sigal peered around staring each student in the eye, checking for the ones who weren't paying attention. Satisfied, she continued, "The password for next week is Enlightenment. First years, and anyone else who cannot remember how to time-set, stay here. As for the rest, off with you!"

Nearly everyone left. Only Harry, Hermonie, Draco, one other first year, and a second year remained. "Good, now I guess I should start with time-setting. To time-set, you draw your power up, concentrate on how far back you want to set the time, I suggest picturing a clock with the time you want on it or what you were doing at that time, and pour your power very slowly into the air around you. Time will slowly go backwards. But mind you, if you try to go back more than 24 hours you might find yourself in a completely different era and you'll probably die there. Your body can't go somewhere it never existed before and exist for long. Also, make sure it's slowly, too fast and you'll give yourself a migraine and probably go back several hours too far or screw up your brain's memories."

The second year nodded and quickly walked out of the room. The girl had a nervous look on her face. Harry had a feeling something was up, and watched her leave closely.

Sigal noticed this and telepathically told Harry, "She is an example of time-setting gone wrong. She tried to go back in time and save her parents from their horrible deaths when she was only a child, but time-setting doesn't allow that. She can no longer hold a memory for more than a year. Coming to Hogwarts is like a new experience every time." Harry nodded solemnly, knowing this was a warning for him.

"Let's practice time-setting now so you don't screw up later. My dragon magic will protect you from doing it wrong as its got preventative magic in it."

Harry closed his eyes, concentrating on finding his power once again. It was deep down and as he tried to grab it, he felt it slip through his fingers. "Don't push it Harry. Coax it. Your magic may belong to you, but it only works for you if you make it want to." Harry gently started whistling to his magic, pretending it was Penny. He was surprised when it responded like Penny too. "Ah a were-cat! That's amazing indeed! I'll explain to you later why were-cat magic and yours is so similar." Harry nodded his understanding and his magic slipped again. "Concentrate!" Refocusing, Harry coaxed it back up to him and gentle led it to leak out his fingertips. "Excellent Harry!"

Opening his eyes he realized he was now sitting on his bed in the dorm room. He glanced at the clock. 11:30. That was several hours ago! He grinned as he realized he'd been successful. He quickly changed into his pajamas and slipped into bed, his mind still buzzing from excitement, not noticing Ron's startled look at all.


End file.
